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Those gray threads were forcibly interfering with the spiritual connection between her and the Nine-Leaf Lotus, as if they were forcibly cutting off and blocking the conduit for transmitting spiritual energy.

Her spiritual energy flow became increasingly sluggish, and the speed and power of her sword strikes were greatly reduced, making her a completely different person from the previous few exhilarating matches.

Xiao Xiao sat quietly on the stone steps beside the arena. She first clearly saw that the sword energy that Nian Nian swung was noticeably shorter.

Then, Nian Nian's attack was a beat too slow, and in an instant, she was hit hard on the side shoulder by Chu Xuan's gray palm wind.

Niannian staggered half a step before barely managing to steady herself. The fabric of her tight-fitting clothes on her shoulders was brushed by the gray mist, and the edges were instantly eroded to the thinness of a cicada's wing.

The small cup filled with spiritual spring water in her hand suddenly shook, and she subconsciously took out a communication talisman. But as soon as her fingertips touched the edge of the talisman, she suddenly let go.

She then gently placed her palm on the ground, and a wisp of emerald green spiritual energy flowed along the cracks in the stone slab.

It flowed silently toward the arena, like a hidden stream lurking in the shadows.

After the grime that had settled on her shoulders dissipated, Nian Nian's thoughts suddenly became chaotic, and a moment of dizziness and disorientation flashed before her eyes:

She stood alone in a boundless, gray wasteland, with no one around her.

Xiaoxiao is gone, Qiqi is gone, all the familiar figures have disappeared into the thick fog.

She opened her mouth to shout, but the sound was swallowed up and dissipated by the thick gray fog as soon as it came out.

She hurriedly raised her hand as if to grab something, but her fingertips only grasped at empty air.

Under the shroud of mist, the light of the Nine-Leaf Lotus within his body dimmed for a moment.

It was as if countless wisps of gray mist were lurking, ready to completely envelop and imprison the entire lotus plant.

This illusion was fleeting, so brief that she only had time to make out the outline of the wasteland before being forcibly pulled back to the real arena.

By the time she came to her senses, Chu Xuan's second killing move was already upon her. Gray energy condensed into a gray beam of light as thick as a forearm, heading straight for her vital chest.

Niannian dodged to the side with all her might, but the beam of light grazed her shoulder and slammed into the stone platform behind her, creating a deep crater.

She took two steps back, raised her hand and pressed it against her chest, but the nine-leaf lotus was still slowly rotating.

However, its operating speed was much slower than usual, as if its rhythm was being held back by something invisible.

She looked up and stared directly at Chu Xuan, who was also quietly observing her, as if carefully confirming whether his illusion and spiritual energy seal had taken effect.

Chu Xuan showed no emotional fluctuation on his face, and even his breathing remained steady and normal.

His gaze lingered briefly on Niannian's chest before calmly shifting away.

It's like an observer who has already seen the expected result, without needing to take extra steps to repeatedly confirm it.

Nian Nian will never give him the chance to launch a second round of blockade.

She raised her hand to gather strength, and an unprecedentedly bright golden sword aura condensed at her fingertips.

The edge of the sword energy was thicker than usual, and its color was also deeper and heavier, as if it were refined iron that had been forged and tempered a thousand times, with all the sharp edges being repeatedly polished and smoothed out.

With a resounding slash, several of the gray threads coiled around her were severed by the sword energy.

Fine gray smoke rose from the fracture, like the blue smoke that rises from a dead tree after it has been set ablaze.

The sharp sword energy pierced through the gaps in the interwoven gray silk and slammed into the ground in front of Chu Xuan, leaving a deep, charred mark.

Chu Xuan looked down at the sword marks on the ground, then looked up and gazed intently at Nian Nian.

A moment later, he silently withdrew the gradually dissipating gray threads around his body, turned around and walked straight off the arena.

As he reached the edge of the steps, he paused briefly, turned his head, and uttered a cold remark:

"You're lucky."

After saying that, he turned and left without looking back.

Nian Nian stood in the center of the ring, watching his figure disappear completely at the ring exit.

She looked down at her palms, and the golden light at her fingertips had fully returned to its bright state.

The circulation rhythm of the Nine-Leaf Lotus within his body returned to normal, and the brief stagnation of spiritual energy just now seemed to be merely an accidental pause.

She slowly clenched her fist, then gently relaxed it, calming the surging spiritual energy within her body.

The referee's pronouncement resounded throughout the stadium at that very moment.

Niannian turned around and walked back to the edge of the field. Xiaoxiao had already gotten up from the stone steps, holding a neatly folded handkerchief in her hand. She quickly stepped forward and handed the handkerchief to her.

Niannian took the handkerchief and wiped the back of her hand clean, then looked down at the fabric on her shoulder that was covered in dust.

Although the outer fabric has become thinner, the skin underneath remains intact.

After wiping her hands, she glanced back at the arena, then handed the handkerchief back to Xiao Xiao and nodded gently to her.

Xiao Xiao didn't ask about the dangerous events that had just happened on the stage, but her gaze remained fixed on Niannian.

Only after hearing Niannian softly say "I'm fine" did she turn her gaze away, take the handkerchief, and put it away.

As she lowered her eyes, her fingertips paused briefly at the edge of the handkerchief before slowly releasing it.

Little Jin squatted in the corner of the stands, half a spirit fruit dangling from his mouth. He chewed it with his cheeks puffed out, muttering to himself:

"That guy in the red shirt is actually quite capable."

Qianqian stood at the front, her gaze fixed on the direction where Chu Xuan had disappeared.

As if silently monitoring all the subsequent movements of this Holy Son of the Tianyuan Sect, he stared intently for a full two breaths before slowly withdrawing his gaze:

"The cultivation technique he practices does not belong to the orthodox lineage of the Tianyuan Sect at all."

Niannian sat down to the side, took the water bag handed to her by Xiaoxiao, and tilted her head back to drink a mouthful of clear spring water:

"I understand."

She put down the water bag, looked up at the clouds that were gradually darkening and gathering on the horizon, and said nothing more.

Night slowly enveloped the entire city of Hecheng, and the lights of thousands of homes lit up one after another.

Disciples from various sects packed their belongings and left the arena, and the crowds of onlookers gradually dispersed from the streets and alleys.

The sounds of conversation and footsteps mingled together, like fallen leaves scattered by the evening breeze, dissipating in all directions through the cracks in the street.

Niannian stood at the gate of the house where she had settled, listening intently to the sounds of the streets and alleys for a moment.

Looking again at the quiet street corner, and confirming that there was nothing amiss, he turned around, closed the door, and stepped into the courtyard.

"Pack your bags immediately; we're leaving Hecheng tonight."